The Tennessee Highway Patrol will conduct more
than 70 sobriety and driver license checkpoints statewide this
Thanksgiving in an effort to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities
during the busy holiday weekend. The 2007 Thanksgiving holiday period
begins at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 21st and runs through
midnight Sunday, November 25th.

As part of the special enforcement, THP will take part in two law
enforcement campaigns. On Wednesday, November 21, 2007, State Troopers
will take part in a nationwide program called ?Operation Care.? During
this effort, a Trooper, sheriff deputy or police officer will be posted
every 10 miles the entire length of Interstate 40. Troopers will
participate in the campaign from 3:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., on what is
typically one of the busiest days for holiday travel.

?The Department of Safety is happy to once again be participating in
Operation Care,? says Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell.
?There will be thousands of more cars and trucks on our highways this
weekend. As traffic increases, so does the risk for crashes and
injuries. Last year during Operation Care, there were no fatal crashes
on I-40, and we hope that will be the case again this year.?

Troopers are also participating in a Tri-State initiative called ?Take
Back Our Highways.? THP is teaming-up with the Mississippi Highway
Patrol and Alabama Department of Safety for this effort. During the
entire Thanksgiving week, November 19-25, all available law enforcement
officers, including administrative members, will participate in patrol
duty.

?Thanksgiving is a time to be with family and reflect on the many
things we have to be grateful for, but too often, we?ve seen people, as
they were attempting to go visit family and friends, lose their lives in
a traffic crash,? stated Colonel Mike Walker. ?It?s our goal to have no
fatalities this year. That may sound unrealistic, but if we don?t have
that goal, then we?re not out there doing the job that we should be
doing.?

20 people were killed in crashes on Tennessee roads during the
Thanksgiving weekend of 2006. That represents an increase from 17
fatalities in 2005 and 13 in 2004. Statistics for 2006 are on page two
of this release.

Sobriety and driver license checkpoints are scheduled at various times
throughout the holiday weekend in the state?s eight THP districts.
Troopers will be looking for impaired and unlicensed drivers, motorists
not wearing seat belts, and those driving above the speed limit.

The Tennessee Department of Safety?s mission is
(www.tennessee.gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare
of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol,
Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas
of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist
services and terrorism prevention.

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY

THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY HISTORICAL INFORMATION

2006 THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY
6:00 p.m., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 ? 11:59 p.m., SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26
102-HOUR HOLIDAY PERIOD

In Tennessee, there were 20 fatal crashes resulting in 20 deaths,
yielding a fatality rate of one death per
five h
ours and six minutes. Six crashes were single vehicle crashes.
14 were multiple vehicle crashes.

Four (20%) of the fatalities occurred in alcohol-related crashes.

Fifteen of the people killed were vehicle occupants.

Nine of the 15 (60%) were not wearing safety restraints.
Four of the nine (44%) were ejected from their vehicles.
No child passengers were killed.

Three motorcyclists were killed. All were wearing helmets.
One ATV operator was killed and was not wearing a helmet.
One pedestrian was killed.

FATALITY LOG

DAY

TIME

COUNTY

HIGHWAY
NUMBERKILLED
ALCOHOL RELATED

1.
Wednesday
6:45 pm
Bradley
SR-60
1
Yes

2.
Wednesday
10:24 pm
Henry
SR-76
1
No

3.
Thursday
4:03 pm
Hamilton
SR-8
1
No

4.
Friday
2:50 am
Shelby
SR-14
1
No

5.
Friday
11:52 am
DeKalb
SR-26
1
No

6.
Friday
2:25 pm
Bradley
City Street
1
No

7.
Friday
3:22 pm
Knox
County Road
1
Yes

8.
Friday
3:55 pm
Sumner
SR-6
1
No

9.
Friday
11:25 pm
Knox
City Street
1
No

10.
Saturday
3:35 pm
Sumner
SR-258
1
Yes

11.
Saturday
3:35 pm
Hawkins
County Road
1
No

12.
Saturday
3:58 pm
Shelby
SR-3
1
No

13.
Saturday
4:02 pm
Shelby
City Street
1
No

14.
Saturday
4:20 pm
Fentress
County Road
1
No

15.
Saturday
5:50 pm
Shelby
I-40
1
No

16.
Saturday

Campbell
County Road
1
No

17.
Sunday
7:25 am
Unicoi
I-26
1
No

18.
Sunday
12:02 pm
Marion
SR-283
1
No

19.
Sunday
4:00 pm
Hamilton
SR-29
1
No

20.
Sunday
10:13 pm
Shelby
City Street
1
Yes

HIGHEST DEATHS

In 1966, 34 people were killed in Tennessee traffic crashes during the
102-hour Thanksgiving
holiday period, yielding a fatality rate of one death per 3.0 hours.

LOWEST DEATHS

In 1983, seven people were killed in Tennessee traffic crashes during
the 102-hour Thanksgiving
holiday period, yielding a fatality rate of one death per 14.6 hours.

The 2007 Thanksgiving Day holiday period will begin at
6:00pm, Wednesday, November 21 and will end 11:59pm, Sunday, November
25.
This is a 102-hour holiday period.

DIST. 7 LAWRENCEBURG

Wednesday, November 21

SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT LEWIS COUNTY
HIGHWAY 412 AFTERNOON

DL CHECKPOINT LEWIS COUNTY
HIGHWAY 412 AFTERNOON

Friday, November 23

SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT GILES COUNTY
HIGHWAY 31 SOUTH EVENING
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT WAYNE COUNTY
HIGHWAY 13 SOUTH EVENING
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT LAWRENCE COUNTY
HIGHWAY 240 EVENING
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT LINCOLN COUNTY
HIGHWAY 273 EVENING
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT MOORE COUNTY
HIGHWAY 55 AFTERNOON
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT BEDFORD COUNTY
HIGHWAY 41A AFTERNOON
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT PERRY COUNTY
HIGHWAY 13 EVENING

Saturday, November 24

SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT MAURY COUNTY
HIGHWAY 7 EVENING
SOBRIETY/DL CHECKPOINT HICKMAN COUNTY
HIGHWAY 7 AFTERNOON